2010 NHL Draft Recap
Few things in sports are as unpredictable as the entry draft, especially in the National Hockey League.
Each year, there are “can’t miss” prospects that sometimes do miss. For every Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, there is a Patrik Stefan and Alexandre Daigle.
For those familiar with this year’s draft, two prospects stood above the others, Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.
As most predicted, Hall and Seguin went first and second overall to the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins.
According to our 2010 NHL Draft Guide here at Hockey Prospect, we had Seguin ranked ahead of Hall, but both are considered to be potential perennial all-stars.
HP would be remiss if we did not mention the job Dale Tallon and his staff did for the Florida Panthers.
Florida nabbed three of HP’s top 24 players with Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad and Quinton Howden. All have ideal size and skills to flourish at the NHL level.
Gudbranson is a hulking defenseman at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. While his size and skill have scouts raving, his character is just as solid. He is a natural leader by example.
He makes a crisp, smart first pass and has a booming shot. Gudbranson will need to use his large frame to be more physical, but he’s well on his way to becoming a dominant blueliner.
Bjugstad is another player that has an NHL body at his young age. American high school players are difficult to project, but with his superior use of his size and skill-set, Bjugstad has all the potential in the world.
He will have time to round out his game while attending perennial NCAA powerhouse Minnesota.
Howden has become a good two-way player. More known for his offensive prowess, he improved his defensive game drastically with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League this season.
He is not afraid to use his size to win battles for pucks. He is a tireless worker who never takes a shift off. While he is probably not NHL-ready right now, he is a solid prospect and future top-six forward.
Another team that should be commended for its draft day success is the Boston Bruins. Anytime a team can get to the conference semifinals and draft one of the best players available in the same year, someone is doing something right in the front office.
The Bruins landed Tyler Seguin, HP’s top prospect. While Hall has been in the spotlight for a longer period, Seguin shot up the draft boards upon joining the Plymouth Whalers in 2008-2009.
He is responsible in all three zones and has game-breaking offensive ability. He possesses good size at 6-foot-1, 186 pounds, and battles in all areas of the rink.
His hockey-sense may be his best trait. It has led to comparisons with some of the all-time greats like Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman.
Seguin won the Most Valuable Player award this season in the Ontario Hockey League, beating out Hall.
But what about those players that slipped through the cracks and fell to later rounds? One team in particular could have pulled off a steal or two in this year’s draft.
The Los Angeles Kings moved up early in the first round to select Derek Forbort, a towering defenseman from the United States National Team Development Program.
His size at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds and skill adds to the deep pool of defensive prospects in the Kings’ system.
While Forbort was selected right around the slot we predicted, the Kings started their coup by taking talented forward Tyler Toffoli with the 47th pick of the second round.
Toffoli, ranked 20th in our draft guide, was a point-per-game player for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL.
The winger is known for his hockey-sense and vision. He is an excellent passer that helps to make his teammates better.
He is not the best skater in this year’s class, but it is not a detriment to his game either as he has improved each year.
Toffoli does not have great size but makes up for it with his knowledge of the game. If he can get bigger and stronger, the Kings could have a talented top-six forward.
The Kings’ savvy drafting did not stop in the second round. With the 70th pick of the third round, Los Angeles selected Jordan Weal, a diminutive forward from Regina of the WHL.
At 5-foot-8, 158 pounds, Weal’s size worried many scouts. However, his production is difficult to ignore. That is why HP had Weal as the 34th best player in this year’s draft.
He became the first 17-year-old in over a decade to amass more than 100 points in a season in the WHL. Weal has undeniable puck skills. If he were a bit bigger, there is no doubt that he would have landed in the first round.
While Toffoli and Weal were nice picks, the Kings may have nabbed one of the most skilled players in the entire draft in the sixth round.
Maxim Kitsyn, ranked 26th in our draft guide, fell all the way to 158th. A native of Russia, many teams worry about his affiliation with the Kontinental Hockey League.
However, Kitsyn was chosen by Mississauga in the CHL import draft, so that may not be an issue.
At 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, Kitsyn has NHL-size already. He is not afraid to battle in front of the net to score and has become a more physical player since joining the KHL. He also has a nice shot that allows him to score from the tops of the circles.
Kitsyn has great hands for a big man and shows spurts of brilliance despite his mediocre statistics. However, he is weak defensively, which is a concern for any team.
While the Kings made their mark at the draft, other teams grabbed talented players in later rounds as well.
The Pittsburgh Penguins landed talented German Tom Kuehnhackl with the 110th pick of the fourth round. HP had the winger as the 33rd best prospect.
Kuehnhackl is a 6-foot-2 forward playing professionally in Germany for Landshut. He will join the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL next season.
Kuehnhackl has good quickness and top speed. He is a savvy defensive player as well, and although he is slight at 170 pounds, he is not afraid to lay the body and play a physical game.
If he can hone his offensive skills in North America, Hockey Prospect believes Pittsburgh could have a talented top-six winger.
As the masters of the late-round steal, the Detroit Red Wings selected two players in the later rounds that could have a huge NHL impact.
Many mock drafts had Finnish forward Teemu Pulkinnen going in the first round. The Red Wings selected him in the fourth round with the 111th overall pick.
He has average size at 5-foot-11, 176 pounds, and Detroit loves his skill and shooting ability. While playing for Finland at the World U-18 Championships in April, Pulkinnen scored 10 goals and five assists in just six games.
HP acknowledged that injuries are a concern with Pulkinnen. He had off-season knee surgery before this year and broke his wrist mid-season.
If he can shake the rash of injuries, he may very well be the next big steal for the Red Wings.
Brooks Macek was another player who fell to Detroit. HP had the talented forward as the 43rd best prospect, but Detroit selected him with the 171st choice in the sixth round.
Macek will hope to have as much success as another former 171st pick of Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk.
He had 73 points in 72 games for Tri-City of the WHL this season despite bouncing around lines.
Macek is a very good skater and playmaker with excellent vision. With an increased role next season, Macek should drastically increase his point total.
Drafting is undoubtedly based on potential. Whether any of these players realize their potential remains to be seen, but that is what makes this process so intriguing.
by Cameron Rudolph - HP Staff
Follow HockeyProspect.com on Twitter@hockeyprospect
 |
